We aim to ship all items as soon as payment is cleared. This means that items ordered and paid for by 12 noon (UK time) Monday-Friday are usually dispatched on the same day. Items ordered and paid for after 12 noon or over the weekend are sent on the next working day. We never charge excessive amounts for postage and packaging. Our P&P charges are made up of the Royal Mail charge for the service plus a small contribution towards the packaging materials, plus VAT, which we are legally obliged to charge.